The Mission of Music

“Music, a gift we share with the angels, has the power to bypass rational thought and plunge us into unselfconscious innocence.” (Mike Mason, Champagne for the Soul)

Many have said that music touches them in a profound way. As the poet writes: “Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, soften rocks, or bend the knotted oak.” There is a power in music that cannot be explained with mere words, which may be why there is music in the first place. But what is often overlooked in music is the ability it has to carry a message of extreme importance—a message with life-transforming substance that may not be heard anywhere else. Music in this case is not simply entertainment, but a vehicle for change.

Now if you’re a musician you may feel biased towards this point, but that does not negate the very fact that this has been witnessed from generation to generation. God has empowered us through the gift of music to share Jesus’ love (loving as He has loved us) in a creative and artistic way that is engaging to a diverse audience. We can see in the scriptures that God Himself has actually commanded us to use music for His glory, His message, and His purpose.

The Psalmist writes: “Sing to the Lord a new song” and “Shout for joy to the LORD , all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music” and “Praise Him with the sounding trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with the tambourine and dancing” and the list goes on!

God has given us a wonderful resource to honor Him and show others our love for Him so that those who have eyes to see and ears to hear may actually see and hear about His love for the very first time. And those of us who have seen and heard already continue to be encouraged in our faith by our collective sharing and singing of our faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t stop singing about your love for Jesus, so that God’s kingdom may expand and that we may enjoy the benefits of the harvest one day. If so, we will surely SING!

“Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, ‘Speak, for Thy servant heareth.’ Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking voice. Amen.” (A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God)